Chess Puzzle #5KbFj — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1124 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks a1/f1; knight c2; pawns a2/c3/c5/f3/g2/h2. Black: king g7; queen a6; rooks a8/f8; knight d7; pawns a7/d5/e6/f5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc5 — knight d7→c5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd4+ — queen d2→d4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king g7→g8).
  3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen d4→c5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd4+.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/p2n2kp/q3p1p1/2Pp1p2/8/2P2P2/P1NQ2PP/R4RK1 b - - 0 21

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.